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2003-12-13
Aleem Ahmed
CINNAMON, a
common household ingredient used in food recipes and an important
constituent of eastern medicinal recipes, has now been found
effective against type 2 diabetes as well.
According to a
study, published in December issue of the journal Diabetes Care (Vol.
26: 3215-3218, 2003), just one gram — less than half a teaspoon —
a day of cinnamon reduced blood sugar levels of 60 volunteers having
type 2 diabetes.
The study, conducted in the Department of
Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, on behalf of
the US Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Centre
was partly funded by the former University Grants Commission (now
Higher Education Commission) and NWFP Agricultural University,
Peshawar.
Those who jointly designed and carried out the study
were: Alam Khan, Mahpara Safdar, Mohammad Muzaffar Ali Khan and Khan
Nawaz Khattak of the Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural
University, and Post Graduate Medical Institute, Hayatabad Medical
Complex, Peshawar, and Richard A. Anderson of ARS Nutrient
Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Maryland, USA.
The
objective of this study was to determine whether cinnamon improves
blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and
LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Researchers
studied a total of 60 people with type 2 diabetes in their study.
Volunteers included 30 men and 30 women, aged about 46 years to 58
years. These patients were divided randomly into six groups. First
three groups (1, 2, and 3) consumed 1, 3, or 6 grams of capsulated
cinnamon a day, respectively. On the other hand, groups 4, 5, and 6
were given similar, but placebo capsules in identical quantities. The
cinnamon was consumed for 40 days followed by a 20-day washout
period.
After 40 days, all three levels of cinnamon reduced
the mean fasting serum glucose (18-29 per cent), triglyceride (23-30
per cent), LDL cholesterol (7-27 per cent), and total cholesterol
(12-26 per cent) levels; no significant changes were noted in the
placebo groups. Changes in HDL cholesterol were not significant.
In
short, the results of this study demonstrate that daily usage of 1, 3
or 6 grams of cinnamon not only reduced blood sugars but also kept
“bad cholesterol” (LDL) levels limited. Furthermore, these
results suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people
with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with
diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Some volunteers even achieved
normal blood sugar levels. Researchers also noted that the blood
sugar started creeping up again after these patients stopped taking
cinnamon.
Traditionally, in the south Asian subcontinent,
cinnamon has numerous useful applications. It is used as a skin
tightener and digestive aid in tea form. Taken with milk, it makes a
good balance after a heavy meal or dessert. It also used as a
treatment for diarrhea, dysentery and general indigestion. It has
long been supposed that cinnamon is useful in combating age-related
diabetes.
In the US, cinnamon is used as an important
ingredient of the delightful apple pie. A couple of years ago, when
Anderson and his colleagues started looking at the effects of common
foods on blood sugar, they expected cinnamon to be have adverse
effects, on contrary, it was found to be beneficial.
The
active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble
poly-phenol compound called MHCP (methylhydroxychalcone). In test
tube experiments, MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptor, and
works synergistically with insulin in cells. In these experiments,
MHCP also neutralized free radicals, damaging chemicals which are
elevated in diabetics. MHCP was not found in cinnamon oils.
Sugars
and starches in food are broken down into glucose, which then
circulates in the blood. The hormone insulin makes cells take in the
glucose, to be used for energy or made into fat.
People with
type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin, while those with type
2 diabetes produce it, but have lost sensitivity to it. Even
apparently healthy people, especially if they are overweight,
deskbound or over 25, lose sensitivity to insulin. Having too much
glucose in the blood can cause serious long-term damage to eyes,
kidneys, nerves and other organs.
Using cinnamon would not add
calories to everyday diet, therefore, those who have Type 2 diabetes,
excess of blood sugars or higher cholesterol levels may benefit from
the regular inclusion of cinnamon in their usual meal. For the rest
of healthy population, cinnamon may be beneficial for the prevention
and control of elevated blood sugars and “bad”
cholesterol.
Though this study demonstrates effects of low
levels (1 to 6 grams a day) of cinnamon can reduce glucose,
triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in
volunteers with type 2 diabetes, but it is yet to be established that
whether a dosage of less than 1 gram of cinnamon a day would also be
beneficial. Moreover, there were no problems associated with the
consumption of 6 gram of cinnamon a day. For further research, the
mechanism related to the effects of cinnamon on glucose and
cholesterol must be determined.
Anderson’s team acquired
patents related to MHCP in 2002.
One of Anderson’s
colleagues tried soaking a cinnamon stick in tea. Anderson noted that
although he isn’t diabetic but cinnamon lowered his blood
sugar.
The group is now planning to test lower doses of
cinnamon in the US, and also look at long-term blood sugar management
with the spice.
Benefits associated with cinnamon are part of
our traditional medicine. But, unfortunately, the practitioners of
eastern herbal medicine in Pakistan never tried to understand
“conventional wisdom” of their ancestors using advanced methods
of research. They still believe in the four Aristotelian elements
(Earth, Water, Air and Fire) and don’t bother about chemistry,
biochemistry, biotechnology, genetic engineering or anything like
this. With such research reports continuously coming in, we have an
ever increasing need to rediscover the conventional wisdom — for
our own good.
The writer is a science journalist and
editor, monthly Global Science, Karachi
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/science/archive/031213/science13.htm
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